CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Bob Hilliard, a Texas lawyer and one of the nation's key players in the pursuit of claims against GM, filed a lawsuit today in Beaumont, Jefferson county Texas against General Motors for damages related to a car crash that caused the deaths of two Texas teenagers.
TEENS DROWN IN GM SATURN
In September 2005 Emma Dyer and Anthony Harmon, both 18, were traveling in Emma's 2005 GM Saturn Ion, when the vehicle suddenly lost all power. The Saturn traveled 420 feet before plunging into a drainage canal where both teens drowned in the vehicle. Accident investigators found no evidence that Emma was able to apply the brakes.
DROWNING: THE WORST WAY TO DIE
Hilliard, who represents 60 families who have lost loved ones due to GM's defective ignition switch, as well as 273 injured victims, 80 of whom suffered catastrophic injuries, said this tragedy was clearly caused by the loss of power:
"These kids had no brakes as the car lost control and hurdled toward the water. There were no skid marks in the grass leading to the canal, 'no signs of braking' according the police report - they couldn't stop. When the GM car hit the water, despite tremendous front end damage there was no airbag deployment, their last chance at surviving this needless tragedy," Hilliard said. "This is yet another case of GM's criminal conduct stealing innocent lives. Death by drowning is one of the single most terrifying ways to die."
HYUNDAI $240 MILLION VERDICT IS GRAVE NEWS FOR GM IN DROWNING CASE
Hilliard compares GM's future verdict in his Beaumont case to a case in Montana that recently resulted in a $240 million punitive award, for the deaths of two cousins in a 2011 car wreck allegedly caused by a weak component in the steering mechanism of the Hyundai Tiburon they were driving.
Bob Hilliard said:
"Montana is traditionally one of the country's most conservative venues for large jury awards. This drowning case, or any one of my firm's GM defective ignition death and injury cases, will bring in a similar jury verdict-if not larger."
GM'S CRIMINAL CONDUCT WILL MAKE A BEAUMONT JURY'S BLOOD BOIL
Bob went on to say, "The indisputable facts of GM's criminal conduct will make a jury's blood boil. Comparably, GM's decades-long deceit and intentional cover-up makes Hyundai look like a beginner. It's like comparing a serial killer to a pickpocket. No jury in this country will hesitate to award historic numbers when calculating the punitive nature of GM's conduct and the human devastation left in its wake."
HILLIARD'S CASES: THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Bob Hilliard has been hired by families from around the country to pursue justice for deaths and injuries caused by GM's ignition switch failures. Each case has been evaluated to confirm that there was a defect and the defect contributed to the injuries. To date Hilliard has investigated and confirmed more than 60 deaths and 80 catastrophic injuries directly attributed to GM's faulty ignition switches. Hilliard said, "Unfortunately, we are seeing just the tip of the iceberg, given how many millions of defective vehicles have been on the roads of America for over 10 years."
ABOUT HMG http://www.hmglawfirm.com/
Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP (HMG) specializes in mass torts, personal injury, product liability, commercial and business litigation, and wrongful death. Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP has been successfully representing clients in the United States and Mexico since 1986.Bob Hilliard obtained the Largest Verdict in the country in 2012 and the #1 verdict in Texas in 2013.
HMG is actively seeking to represent other victims of GM's defective vehicles.
Case Docket #: B195717
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SOURCE Hilliard Munoz Gonzales LLP
